Kennedy News and MediaIf you’ve ever had a Labrador in the family, you’ll know they eat anything and everything. And, if you’re not one of those people, you’ll probably think that is a massive exaggeration.
However, let me introduce you to Stanley – a greedy little pup who left vets baffled when he arrived at their surgery with more than a metre of a lead hanging out of his backside after he swallowed it whole.
Graphic images show poor Stanley sedated on the operating table with the red rope trailing out of his bum.
Kennedy News and MediaHis human Vanessa Waters rang Brookfield Vets in Hereford, Herefordshire, on Boxing Day after she discovered the hungry pooch had devoured the lead, and rushed him to the surgery.
X-rays revealed the lead ran right the way through the chocolate Labrador’s large intestine – leaving the poor pooch’s small intestine bunched up around the ‘linear foreign body’.
Stunned vets carried out exploratory surgery to remove the lead, discovering the lead’s metal fittings in his stomach and a rubber stopper in his large intestine.
With Stanley now bounding down the road to recovery, the vets are sharing what happened to ensure no-one else goes through what he did.
Kennedy News and MediaVanessa, from Ledbury, Herefordshire, said:
I am glad to report that Stanley is back to his usual self, and can’t thank Victoria and her team enough for their skill and care.
The concerned owner rang the surgery on December 26, saying Stanley had eaten something and telling duty vet Victoria that the lead was hanging from his bottom.
Later that day an excitable Stanley ‘bounced’ into the vets with more than a metre of lead following behind him.
At first vets tried to remove the lead with pain relief but it wouldn’t budge, then while Stanley was under anaesthesia they discovered it was ‘totally stuck’.
After examining the blockage on x-ray, vets carried out exploratory surgery on Stanley to allow the lead to be fed out as far as possible so the greatest length could be cut off.
A rubber stopper was then ‘milked out’ of his large intestine, allowing the rest of the lead to be surgically removed.
Kennedy News and MediaA Brookfield Vets spokesperson said:
This time of year we are seeing lots of patients who’ve eaten things they shouldn’t, but dear Stanley took things to a new level on Boxing Day.
Stanley’s owner wanted as many dog owners to be aware of what can happen so asked us to share this and we ask you to do the same.
The phone call started with the common phrase ‘my dog has eaten…’ but then continued to inform our duty vet Victoria that his lead was hanging from his bottom.
But nothing prepared the Boxing Day team of Victoria, Lottie and Georgia for what was going to present to them. Stanley bounced in with over a metre of lead following behind.
We have all been astounded by Stanley’s joie de vivre and amazing recovery – he definitely has won Brookfield’s most dramatic case of 2019.
Let’s hope Stanley has learned a valuable lesson… although us Labrador owners won’t hold our breath.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.